Ernest abshagen



(No Model.)

B. ABSHAGEN. ELEGTRIG STEAM AND HOT WATER GENERATOR.

No. 442,933. Patented Dec. 16, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST ABSHA'GEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF FIVE-EIGHTHS TO GEO. M. CLARK, HENRY M. HUBBARD, AND WILLIAM H. HUBBARD, ALL OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC STEAM AND HOT-WATER GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,933, dated December 16, 1890.

Application filed August 4, 1890.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST ABSHAGEN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicage, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improve ment in Electric Steam and Hot-Water Generators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the construction of an electric steam and hot-water generating apparatus in which one or a series of resistances are placed in the circuit of an electric current operated in conjunction with a sur rounding non-conductive heat-retaining material; and the objects of my invention are, first, to provide the resistance with a noncondncting material of a fiui and oilysubstance-such as sperm-oil, cot n-seed oil, .l-in seed-oil, lard, or any other fatty oil of a-nonvolatile character-whichfiuid material, unlike other material heretoforeemployed-for similar purposes, will always be in close contact with the resistance-piece either when hot or cold and not shrink away by expansion or contraction; second, to afford facilities for taking up and retaining the heat generated by the resistance-piece in large quantities and at a high temperature; third,.in order to re move the internal pressure to which the easing of my electric steam and hot-water genorator is subjected by means of the expansion of the oil when heated I provide an autoniaticall y working expansion regulator; fourth, to regulate the amount of heat required for each steam-generating apparatus by shunting automatically the current which supplies the electric energy to the resistancepiece by means of a shunt arrangement set in operation by the aforementioned ex pans'ionregulator, whereby the amount of current supplied to the resistance-piece can be automatically regulated, and the heat in my electric steam and hot-water generating apparatus can then be maintained at even temperature, it needed, or the heatmay be increased or decreased at the will of the operator. I attain these-objects by the apparatus illus-- trated in the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, andin which Serial No- 360,878. (No model.)

similar letters of reterenceindicate like parts in both the figures, and in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical view of my apparatus, and Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional vertical view of the same.

In the drawings, A is the outer casing of an ordinary tubular boiler supported on standards A A. a a are the tubes connecting the two boiler-heads A.

B is the steam-drum of the usual form. Two auxiliary end coversH H are fastened to either end of the boiler-A. The space T, which practically forms a closed compartment, consists of the interior of the tubes at and the end spaces formed by the boilerheads A and the auxiliary end heads H, and is filled entirely with any oily fluid, preferably of a non-volatile character, such as sperm-oil, cottonseed oil, linseed-oil, lard, &c.

A resistance-piece R is suspended within several or allot the tubes a, and is connected by means of wires 1 and 2 to any source of electricity, such as generator G. A current of electricity passing through the resistancepiece R will, according to the well-known Joule law, produce a proportionate amount of heatwithin 'the same, which heat will be transmitted through the medium of the su rrounding oil and the tubes at a to the water W within the boiler and heat the same either for hot-water or steam generation.

I have provided expansion-regulators E E, which are preferably in the form of pistonhcads and work within the piston-cylinders F F, which latter may form part of the auxiliary heads H H.

The oil when heated will expand at a certain ratio and force the expansion-regulators E E accordingly outwardly, and thereby remove any pressure which would otherwise take place within the oil-space '1. The outer atmospheric pressure will force the pistons E E inwardly again as soon as contraction of the oil, caused by radiation or loss of heat, takes place. By this means the formation of an air-space and consequent generation of vapor or steam from the oil is prevented.

In order to regulate the amount of heat to which my apparatus may be subjected, I have shown at S. an adj ustlng set-screw, which carries at its inner end a contact-point g, which latter is connected by means of the shun t-wire 3 with the supply-wire 1. Another insulated contact-point1 is connected to the outer end of the expansion-regulator E. This point 17 has a shuntavire l, connected thereto and to wire It will readily be seen that when a certain amount of heat has been generated within the oil-space T, and a consequent expansion of the oil and an outward movement of the expansion-regulator E has taken place, then the points 12 q will make contact with each other, and thereby short-circuit the current and cut out the resistance-piece. By adjusting the screw S and terminal point q of the shuntwire 3 more or less heat can be generated in the apparatus, and such heat can thereby be maintained atv an even temperature.

Any electrical arrangement for shunting the current can be used in connection with the expansion-regulator E, such as a rheostat, rheocord, &c. Any number of such apparatus may be supplied with an electric current from one source, and these apparatus may be placed either in series or multiple arc, and they may be placed in the same circuit' with an are light, with an electric heater, and an electrical cooking apparatus.

For-the electric heater, a patent, No. 436,864, was granted me September 23, 1890, and for the electrical cooking apparatus I have an,

application now pending, the same being Serial No. 360,877, filed August 4, 1890.

I claim- 1. The electrical steam and hot water generating apparatus consisting of a closed vessel having an interior compartment in contact with the water, a body of oily fluid in said compartment, and a resistance-piece immersed in said oily fluid and in circuit with a generator of electricity, substantially as set forth.

2. In an electrical steam and hot-water generating apparatus, an outer casing containing the water to be heated and provided with tubes traversing the same and surrounded by the water, said tubes having connection with each other and forming a closed separate vessel which contains an oily fluid, which latter is brought to a high state of temperature by the application of an electrical current which passes through a resistance-piece placed within the oily fluid, in combination with-said oily fluid and said resistance-piece, substantially as and for the purpose-described.

3. In an electrical steam and hot'water generating apparatus wherein are combined an oily fluid which is brought to a high state 0! temperature by means of an electrical cur rent which passes through a resistance-piece placed within the oily fluid, said fluid, said resistance-piece, and one or a number of automatic expansion regulators operated by the expansion and cont raction of the hot and cold oil within said apparatus, so as to remove all stantially as herein set forth and described. 4. In an electrical steam and hot-water genera-ting apparatus, an oily fluid surrounding an electrical resistance-piece, which latter is in circuit with an electrical generator, said resistancepiece, an automatic expansion-regulator operated by the expansion and contraction of the hot and cold oil within said appainternal pressure from the apparatus, subratus, and an electrical shunt operated by an -it may be put in circuit with asource of electrical energy, substantially as specified.

6. A steam or hot-water boiler provided withan interior compartment or vessel closed against the water, a body of oil or oily fluid filling said compartment, and a resistancepieceimmersed in said oily fluid and electrically connected to a source of electric energy, all combined and operating substantially as set forth.

7. The tubular boiler havingitstubes filled with an oily fluid, in combination with a rcsistance piece or pieces placed in said tubes, and electrical connections wherebyacurrent from a source of electricenergy maybe passed through said piece or pieces, substantially as set forth.

ERNEST ABSHAGEN.

Witnesses:

H. M. MUNDAY, Enw. S. Evanrs. 

